Missing teeth can have a negative impact on many areas of your life. In addition to lowering morale, having gaps in your smile can make it challenging to chew your food, speak clearly, and feel confident. Fortunately, even if you’ve experienced extensive tooth loss, you could have a complete smile in the future again! All-on-4 dental implants are a long-term solution for patients who are missing all of their teeth on one or both arches. This treatment requires a surgical procedure to complete. Here’s what the recovery period will look like.
How Long Does It Take to Recovery from All-on-4 Surgery?
For traditional dental implants, osseointegration can take several months or even longer. However, with all-on-4 dental implants, the osseointegration process is much faster, though the exact amount of time varies from patient to patient. During your consultation, you will have the opportunity to discuss your unique needs and go over a more detailed timeframe of what you can expect.
How Much Time Should You Take Off Work to Get All-on-4?
Most patients only need to take one or two days off to get dental implants. However, if your job is physically demanding, you may want to take three to four days off, as heavy exercise can divert blood from the implant site and delay healing. However, every case is different. During your consultation, your dentist can give you a more specific recommendation to meet your needs.
7 Tips for an Efficient All-on-4 Recovery
To promote optimal healing and prevent complications from arising, here are some steps to implement:
- Avoid rinsing your mouth the first day. You can use a saltwater rinse on the second day to address minimal bleeding.
- Stay away from tender areas to prevent irritation.
- Don’t smoke for at least two weeks before and two to three months after your surgery. This will reduce your risk of dental implant failure.
- Stick to soft foods, like eggs, smoothies, mashed potatoes, yogurt, and oatmeal.
- Don’t use a straw while your smile is healing.
- Get plenty of rest so your jawbone and gum tissue can heal easily.
- Attend your follow-up visits. Your dentist will monitor how you are recovering and offer additional suggestions.
All-on-4 dental implants are an investment in the future of your smile, so they require some patience. By using the tips listed above, you will be showing off your complete set of pearly whites in no time!
About the Practice
At Center for Advanced Dentistry, prosthodontist, Dr. Steve Lim, and general dentist, Dr. Clairis Peréz work together to serve patients in the San Jose community. The entire all-on-4 dental implant process can be completed at their practice. To learn more about all-on-4 dental implants or to schedule a consultation, visit their website or call (408) 549-7133.